WATCH: High pressure pays off for cooking challenge competitors

The North Isles will be well represented when the final of the Taste of Shetland Cooking Challenge takes place later this month.

That is because two of the contenders who won today’s high-pressure semi final event come from there.

Karen Malone comes from Baltasound in Unst, while Fiona Stirling lives in Mid Yell.

The third successful candidate is Susan Msalila from Aith.

The trio of master-chefs will compete again in the final, which will be held during the Taste of Shetland Festival on Sunday 17th September.

But organisers praised the efforts of all who took part.

Judge Raymond Smith said the use of local produce was one of the key messages behind the event.

“We have seen an amazing variety of different items. We knew by the menus from the entrants when they put them in. They really followed the spec of what we wanted, which is basically ‘grow your own’ or from Shetland itself.

“We have a lot of dishes using local products. Everybody used every vegetable they could think of from a local point of view – and that’s what’s in season just now.”

• See next week’s Shetland Times for full story.